19 year old Sergey Karjakin of the Ukraine scored the biggest victory of his career to date in taking clear first place at the 2009 Corus A tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands earlier this month. With the absence of the three dominant players of the last few years (Anand, Kramnik and Topalov), this year's elite event looked to have a more even field. An observation borne out by the fact that going into the final round no fewer than six players were tied for the lead. But of these six, only Karjakin managed to win, in an all-out fight with co-leader Lenier Dominguez Perez of Cuba.
Today's game is that last round game, where Dominguez playing White, commits himself fully to a kingside attack, but steely defence by Karjakin brings home the point.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Nf6 8. Be3 Ng4
Side-stepping the more usual variations of the Najdorf Sicilian, Black shows he is also playing to win as this move involves weaking his kingside. 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Bg7 12. h3 Nf6 13. Qe2 ---
Enabling queenside castling and reactivating the dark-squared bishop by e4-e5. 13. --- Nc6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxe5 O-O 17. g4!? a5 18. h4! ---
White's previous move fixed the black g-pawn and this one forces open lines to the black king. White has no way back from an all-out attack, as he is now material down. 18 Bg2 was a quieter choice. 18. --- Bxg4 19. f3 Bf5 20. hxg5 hxg5 21. Qe3 a4!
With the counter-attacking purpose of weakening the queenside dark squares and making a5 available to the black queen.Grabbing a second pawn with 21 ... Bxc2? would be asking for trouble. 22. Qxg5 Bg6 23. Bd3 a3 24. b4! ---
Preventing 24 ... Qa5. 24. --- Qb6 25. Rh4?! ---
Protecting b4, but 25 Bxg6 fxg6 26 Rh4 would have prevented Black's next, leaving White with the advantage. 25. --- Nh7!
A fine defensive maneouvre, showing the white queen to be overloaded protecting g1, e5 and e3, causing White to invest more material. 26. Rxh7!? Kxh7 27. O-O-O Qxb4 28. Rh1+ Kg8 29. Bxg7?! ---
Losing his way in the complications after spending a long time looking for the win. The other bishop exchange keeps White's attack alive – E.g. 29 Bxg6 fxg6 30 Qxg6 (or 30 Rh8+ Kf7!, but not 30 ... Bxh8? 31 Qxg6+ or 30 ... Kxh8? 31 Qh6+) 30... Rf6 31 Qh7+! (Not 31 Bxf6? Qf4+ 32 Kd1 Qxf3+ wins, or here 32 Kb1 Rb8+ 32 Ka1 Qxf6 wins) 31... Kf7 32 Rg1 Qb2+ 33 Kd2 Rd8+ 34 Ke2 with plenty more fight left. 29. --- Kxg7 30. Qh6+ Kf6 31. Ne4+ ---
The black king is driven out, but White can't take advantage, being severely short of time. Here 31 Bxg6 fxg6 32 Ne4+ Ke5 33 Qg5+ Rf5 34 Qg3+ Kd4 35 Rd1+ Kc4 36 Rd4+! Kxd4 37 c3+ Qxc3+ 38 Nxc3 Kxc3 offered an interesting struggle – but Black is still on top. 31. --- Ke6 32. Rd1 Qb2+ 33. Kd2 Kd7 34. Qf4 Rfd8 35. Ke2 Ke8 36. Rh1 Ra5 37. Qc7 Rad5 38. Ke3 Kf8 39. c3? Rxd3+ 40. Kf4 f6 41. Rh8+ Kf7
After 42 Rxd8 Qh2+ 43 Ng3 Qh4 is mate.
Karjakin wins Corus
Problem: White to play and win.
19 year old Sergey Karjakin of the Ukraine scored the biggest victory of his career to date in taking clear first place at the 2009 Corus A tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands earlier this month. With the absence of the three dominant players of the last few years (Anand, Kramnik and Topalov), this year's elite event looked to have a more even field. An observation borne out by the fact that going into the final round no fewer than six players were tied for the lead. But of these six, only Karjakin managed to win, in an all-out fight with co-leader Lenier Dominguez Perez of Cuba.
Today's game is that last round game, where Dominguez playing White, commits himself fully to a kingside attack, but steely defence by Karjakin brings home the point.
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. Be3 Ng4
7. Bc1 Nf6
8. Be3 Ng4
Side-stepping the more usual variations of the Najdorf Sicilian, Black shows he is also playing to win as this move involves weaking his kingside.
9. Bg5 h6
10. Bh4 g5
11. Bg3 Bg7
12. h3 Nf6
13. Qe2 ---
Enabling queenside castling and reactivating the dark-squared bishop by e4-e5.
13. --- Nc6
14. Nxc6 bxc6
15. e5 dxe5
16. Bxe5 O-O
17. g4!? a5
18. h4! ---
White's previous move fixed the black g-pawn and this one forces open lines to the black king. White has no way back from an all-out attack, as he is now material down. 18 Bg2 was a quieter choice.
18. --- Bxg4
19. f3 Bf5
20. hxg5 hxg5
21. Qe3 a4!
With the counter-attacking purpose of weakening the queenside dark squares and making a5 available to the black queen.Grabbing a second pawn with 21 ... Bxc2? would be asking for trouble.
22. Qxg5 Bg6
23. Bd3 a3
24. b4! ---
Preventing 24 ... Qa5.
24. --- Qb6
25. Rh4?! ---
Protecting b4, but 25 Bxg6 fxg6 26 Rh4 would have prevented Black's next, leaving White with the advantage.
25. --- Nh7!
A fine defensive maneouvre, showing the white queen to be overloaded protecting g1, e5 and e3, causing White to invest more material.
26. Rxh7!? Kxh7
27. O-O-O Qxb4
28. Rh1+ Kg8
29. Bxg7?! ---
Losing his way in the complications after spending a long time looking for the win. The other bishop exchange keeps White's attack alive – E.g. 29 Bxg6 fxg6 30 Qxg6 (or 30 Rh8+ Kf7!, but not 30 ... Bxh8? 31 Qxg6+ or 30 ... Kxh8? 31 Qh6+) 30... Rf6 31 Qh7+! (Not 31 Bxf6? Qf4+ 32 Kd1 Qxf3+ wins, or here 32 Kb1 Rb8+ 32 Ka1 Qxf6 wins) 31... Kf7 32 Rg1 Qb2+ 33 Kd2 Rd8+ 34 Ke2 with plenty more fight left.
29. --- Kxg7
30. Qh6+ Kf6
31. Ne4+ ---
The black king is driven out, but White can't take advantage, being severely short of time. Here 31 Bxg6 fxg6 32 Ne4+ Ke5 33 Qg5+ Rf5 34 Qg3+ Kd4 35 Rd1+ Kc4 36 Rd4+! Kxd4 37 c3+ Qxc3+ 38 Nxc3 Kxc3 offered an interesting struggle – but Black is still on top.
31. --- Ke6
32. Rd1 Qb2+
33. Kd2 Kd7
34. Qf4 Rfd8
35. Ke2 Ke8
36. Rh1 Ra5
37. Qc7 Rad5
38. Ke3 Kf8
39. c3? Rxd3+
40. Kf4 f6
41. Rh8+ Kf7
After 42 Rxd8 Qh2+ 43 Ng3 Qh4 is mate.
0-1
Solution: 1 Bxe4!! Rxf1+ (1... Rxe4 2 Qxh6 wins a piece) 2 Rxf1 Bxd2 3 Bd5+ e6 4 Bxe6#.